


Honed

by Bookwrm389



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Gen, Injury Recovery, Torture, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-11-06 08:48:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,842
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17936615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bookwrm389/pseuds/Bookwrm389
Summary: The first encounter with Ghirahim ends almost before it begins. Link is left for dead in the Skyview Temple, defeated and badly wounded, and faced with the harrowing truth that he is far from being the knight and champion that Zelda needs. But though his own faith is shaken, there is one who still believes in him. His sword.





	Honed

A sword wields no strength unless the hand that holds it has courage.

Link had memorized those words almost before he learned to walk. That was how far back his dreams of being a knight went. He still remembered the day he had been handed a practice sword of his very own, the reverence he had felt in wielding the same weapon as the Ancient Hero of legend. Not even the day he bonded with his Loftwing could compare, and all of his instructors and the headmaster seemed to agree that he had been born for the blade. He remembered the excitement when he defeated Groose in their very first duel, the pride when he realized that  _he_ was the best swordsman of all his classmates and none could best him. As long as he had a sword in his hand, Link had absolutely  _nothing_ to fear.

 _But remember that a sword is but a tool,_  Gaepora and all of his instructors had cautioned him.  _The wise words of the Ancient Hero still ring true today. A weapon is only as good as the one who wields it. And should you ever find yourself in danger without a weapon of any kind, you must be prepared to defend yourself and others regardless. That is the duty and burden of a knight._

That was all well and good to say. But Link knew firsthand that he was nothing without his sword. His body wasn't the strongest, his mind wasn't the brightest, but at least he had tenacity and skill at arms going for him. He bolstered his ego with that and decided  _if_  the day came when he found himself alone and weaponless before an enemy he couldn't defeat, then he would deal with it as best he could. And the one thing he would  _never_ do was let himself die when someone was counting on him.

Well...it seemed fate had decided to test his resolution in the most brutal way. The day had come long before he was ready, and Link found himself thrown into battle against monsters he had never heard off, in a land that could have come straight from the oldest of legends. He was overwhelmed by the task he had been entrusted with, to somehow stop an apocalypse from destroying everything he held dear. The entire world was in danger, the odds were against him, and the one counting on him the most was Zelda.

And now the enemy had his sword.

"Pathetic," Ghirahim said with scorn and rushed for him. Link tried to leap aside, but his weakening body faltered and yet again allowed the Goddess Sword slice through tunic and chainmail and flesh. He gasped and slumped against the nearest wall, one hand braced on the stone while the other clasped the deep slash in his side. His gauntlet was soaked red within seconds, and he could do little but watch himself bleed and marvel that he wasn't dead yet. He had never seen so much blood at once, let alone his  _own_ blood. He couldn't count how many times he had been cut. The pain was everywhere, stinging and biting and searing, like a dozen angry Remlits had decided to swarm him.

 _I should've saved that potion_ , Link thought and cursed whatever stupidity had made him drink it to heal that spider bite on his calf. Sure his leg had been turning purple, but he could have lived with that. Poison would have surely killed him slower than bleeding to death.

"You tempt me, skychild, showing me your back like that," Ghirahim chuckled, the silken words resonating in the chamber and drawing a disturbed shiver from Link. Cold steel touched the nape of his neck, and he whirled around and slapped the tip of the blade aside. Ghirahim stepped back, dark eyes glittering as he held the sword to the side and crooked his fingers. An invitation to attack, though Link could tell from his smirk that he fully expected the human to balk. Or maybe Ghirahim  _did_ want him to fight back. The merciless bastard seemed to enjoy letting him struggle only to strike him down when he least expected it.

"This is becoming a bit tiresome," Ghirahim drawled, and Link bristled at how bored he sounded. "Really, how long can you expect me to put up with this farce? I had the grace to humor your claims of being the goddesses' champion, but I believe it's time you admit that you're little more than a suckling babe with aspirations above his head."

Link licked his lips, which were  _also_  bleeding from when Ghirahim had slammed his face against the wall, and made an effort to stop his legs from trembling. "Don't...mock...me," he panted.

Ghirahim favored him with an indulgent look. "But how can I resist when you make it so laughably  _easy?_ "

Fury and desperation made Link shove away from the wall and launch himself at Ghirahim with a shout. He didn't try for an armlock or a chokehold or any of the hand-to-hand techniques he had been taught and never managed to execute properly. Instead he seized those pale wrists and tried to wrest his sword back from the demon lord. The two of them grappled, their stumbling feet leading them back to the center of the chamber...well,  _Link_ was stumbling. Ghirahim had yet to trip or lose his balance or even take a single step that was not of his choosing. Yet another reason why Link needed his weapon back. The demon may have looked like some hideously pallid wretch that had crawled out of a deep dark pit, but his appearance belied his strength. As much as Link hated to admit it, he was just too damn  _weak_  to overpower this creature through brute force.

"Is this truly the extent of your power?" Ghirahim said, not exerting himself in the least. He jerked the sword closer and Link with it. "I can see the pain in your eyes, I can feel the way your body trembles with fatigue. How much longer can you last, I wonder?"

"Long enough to kill you," Link snapped and lashed out, his temper so frayed that he didn't care how weak the punch was. Ghirahim caught his fist easily and squeezed until the bones in his fingers cracked. Link bit his tongue to keep from crying out, but still refused to release the demon's other hand which held the sword.  _His_ sword.

"So fragile," Ghirahim said in displeasure. "Compared to a flawless being such as myself, you're even less than a child. Less than an  _insect_. And still your mind has yet to accept defeat. What  _is_  it that drives you so relentlessly into the arms of violent death? Is it devotion to your goddess...or fear of her  _wrath_  should you fail?"

" _I won't fail_ ," Link said viciously. "I...I don't know why the goddess chose me, but I would have come even if she hadn't. I'm here for Zelda and nothing else. She's waiting for me to help her."

Ghirahim laughed, his smile at once cruel and derisive. "Oh, so the  _maiden_  is to blame! It was  _she_  who lavished you with her favor until your had an inflated opinion of your own self-worth. I understand you now, skychild...or I should say I understand the delusions which drive you. May I ask what she is to you? A lover? A sister?"

Link glowered at him. "A friend," he hissed. "One that I would do anything to protect. I'll make you regret ever calling up that tornado!"

Ghirahim laughed again, and without warning he raised his arm with Link still clinging to it, effortlessly holding him up so his feet couldn't reach the ground. Link kicked out uselessly and yelped when Ghirahim seized his hair and began to pry him off like a stubborn bug clinging to a branch. He gritted his teeth and held on even as his scalp screamed and his neck bent backward until he was staring at the ceiling. He had to get his sword back. That was the only goal his mind knew and nothing would make him let go.

Except for the tongue licking his ear. Link released Ghirahim with a cry of disgust, which was cut off abruptly when the demon kicked him in the chest and sent him flying back into the wall. The collision knocked him senseless for a brief instant, and so he was completely unprepared when the Goddess Sword impaled his right shoulder and pinned him to the stone. Link screamed, his hand gripping the blade convulsively and slicing his palm open. But that pain was lost in the greater agony that made his senses reel and his vision darken. He choked when the blade twisted and his collarbone snapped, and worse than the deliberate torture was the knowledge that his sword arm was crippled. Maybe permanently.

"Yes, scream for me," Ghirahim murmured. Blood ran in rivulets down the blade and drenched his hand, and he switched his grip so he could touch the stained fingers to his lips. "Scream louder, skychild.  _Louder_. Perhaps your maiden will hear and rush to see what has become of her knight."

The taunt caused Link to snap his mouth shut and swallow the cries that wanted to break free. His eyes darted to the golden barrier with the symbol of outspread wings, suddenly terrified. Zelda was on the other side of that barrier, both Fi and Ghirahim had confirmed it. If she realized what was happening, if she tried to intervene...the thought of Ghirahim getting his hands on her petrified Link even more than the thought that he might never hold a sword again. He couldn't let that happen.

"Oh...you've changed your mind?" Ghirahim said with a sweetness that did not suit him. "You would rather not see her now, after you've come all this way? What a pity. I suppose it's up to me to console her and assure her that  _I_ still value the divine soul within that mortal body..."

"N-No," Link said, and he hissed when strong fingers gripped just under his jaw and forced his head up. Ghirahim brought their faces uncomfortably close, and Link flinched at the cold breath on his cheek like he was staring death in the face.

"No?" Ghirahim whispered, his entire face alight with gratification. He traced Link's jaw with his thumb and left smears of blood. "Was that...a  _plea_  I heard? Did you just  _beg_ me to spare your pretty little friend?"

Link gritted his teeth. " _No_ ," he spat.

"I'm afraid you'll have to speak up," Ghirahim goaded. "Come, don't be embarrassed. There is no shame whatsoever in begging for mercy. Nearly every human I've met ended their lives groveling on their knees so I assume it's customary for your kind."

 _Not for a knight,_  Link longed to retort, but he contented himself with glaring in mute defiance. He would never give in to such an act of cowardice, no matter what he thought it might gain him. And there was no point anyway when he doubted Ghirahim could be convinced to spare him or Zelda.

"Very well," Ghirahim said and abruptly jerked the sword back. Link groaned when the blade slipped from his shoulder, and he crumpled to the floor limply. He braced himself, expecting the final blow to fall, but instead the Goddess Sword was dropped at his side. Link stared at it in disbelief and raised his head to see Ghirahim striding toward the golden barrier. Toward Zelda. He sucked in a breath and tried to rise, but every movement caused a fresh wave of pain and vertigo.

"S-Stop..."

"As much as it would please me to stay and toy with you," Ghirahim said with an air of loftiness, "I have much more important matters that I must see to. The protective enchantment on this door, for instance. Before you so  _rudely_  interrupted me, I had nearly solved the puzzle of how to break through. Now if you'll kindly lay there and bleed to death like a good boy, I just may be able to finish what I began..."

"Stop," Link repeated. He reached his knees only after long seconds of struggle, his left hand braced on the ground, but he couldn't find the strength to rise any further. And he could hear Ghirahim murmuring some sort of chant, which caused the wing symbol on the barrier to glow reddish-orange. The Goddess Sword at his side flashed urgently as Link snatched it up and, lacking any better plan, hurtled it across the chamber at the demon lord.

" _I said STOP!_ "

Ghirahim began to turn just as the spinning sword flew past him, slicing into his cheek with such perfect timing and accuracy that Link could have believed Fi had something to do with it. Ghirahim recoiled and hunched over, one delicate hand caressing the shallow gash beneath his eye. Link held his breath, half expecting the demon to laugh and ridicule him for such a futile act. But Ghirahim straightened with frightening slowness, eyes darkened near to black and so full of bloodlust that Link knew he would not survive whatever happened next.

Ghirahim vanished. Link blinked away the diamond-shaped afterimages, scanning around frantically until the demon reappeared as a pair of legs right in front of him. The front of his tunic was seized, and Link was hauled to his feet and then even higher, flipped in midair and flung halfway across the room. He hit the floor on his back and skidded a good distance until he was stopped by a vicious kick to his ribs. This time it was his hair Ghirahim seized and used to pull him up, only to strike him again in the stomach, the face, the groin. There was no pause, no breathing space between each hit, and each time Link began to fall the demon would materialize on the other side and kick him in the other direction. Link had been beaten up before, usually by Groose who contented himself with one or two punches, enough to give him a black eye and bloody nose. But  _this_  was systematic and relentless and seemed to go on without end until Link was numb to anything but the pain of his battered body.

"You  _dare_ ," Ghirahim hissed, and Link gasped when clawed fingers ripped into the wound on his side and made it bleed anew. He didn't realize he was on the floor until his vision stopped being double and he saw Ghirahim standing above him, blood dripping from his fingers. "You dare to stand in my way? You  _dare_  leave a mark on one so high above your existence?"

"Give you...a matching one...if you want," Link rasped. But he regretted it when Ghirahim seized his right arm by the wrist and slammed the flat of his palm into the wrong side of his elbow. Bone cracked with a sound like rock splitting, and the scream that filled the chamber was so loud and shrill and full of suffering that Link barely recognized it as his own. He wouldn't have been surprised if someone in Skyloft heard it. Link doubled over, his broken arm still held imprisoned as he heaved and threw up all over the floor. But Ghirahim wasn't done with him yet. Link slumped down, panting and writhing as his elbow was bent even further, unable to withhold his sobs. He had never in his life thought there could be a pain so excruciating.

" _Your lack of respect TRIES me, boy! Dare to speak that way again, and by your own goddess, I WILL tear that barbaric tongue from your head!_ "

Link couldn't speak any words in reply, but the mouthful of saliva he spat out spoke plenty. His arm was released, and for a moment he remained sprawled on his stomach, eyelids fluttering as he waited for the end. Now  _surely_ it had to end. But then Ghirahim straddled his back, and Link felt his right arm being gripped in an armlock that he knew very well, that he and all the other knight students had learned in their hand-to-hand lessons. He caught his breath in queasy dread, knowing his shoulder was about to be dislocated, although with Ghirahim's unnatural strength, he was more likely to rip the limb right off his body. Link made a panicked attempt to escape, but was foiled by a hand gripping the back of his neck.

"One last chance," Ghirahim breathed into his ear, deathly calm replacing his wild-eyed rage. "I've put up with your insolence, I've given you every opportunity to flee or think better of the path you've chosen. But it seems you are bound and determined to make me kill you with my own hand. Tell me, because I'm curious...does it make your heart content to know that you die in the name of your goddess? Do you find still find rapture even in failure?"

 _Zelda_ , Link thought in anguish and shut his eyes against hot tears. Once Ghirahim was finished with him, the demon would move on to her and she would have  _no_   _one_  to protect her. No one else even knew where to find her on the surface. That had been  _his_ duty, to seek her out and keep her safe at all costs. His best friend...Link would have given his life for hers, but in the end he couldn't even offer  _that_ much.

"Is it too much to bear, skychild?" Ghirahim said, almost tenderly. "If you wish for an end to this misery, if you long with all your heart for a swift death, then I can grant it. You have only to say it. I'm waiting now... _say_  it. Beg me to kill you."

"Ne...ver," Link croaked, clinging to his courage as the only thing he had left. He sucked in a breath when he felt his shoulder being twisted in the socket. Twisted further and further...but then Ghirahim stopped. Link kept his eyes squeezed shut, expecting that he was just being toyed with. But for a second time the demon released him and left him lying on the cold stone. Link cracked his eyes open and watched as Ghirahim reappeared across the room beside the golden barrier. The demon placed his hand on it and sounded almost baffled when he spoke.

"Gone? The presence of the maiden...it has vanished! But how can this be? How could she leave the spring without coming through this barrier?"

Zelda was gone. Link turned those words over in his mind, almost too addled to understand what they meant. But when he finally did...then his shock became relief, which in turn swelled to joy and giddy triumph. Zelda was gone.  _Gone_. Ghirahim couldn't reach her now, even if he broke through that barrier. She had escaped beyond his reach. Link giggled, so overcome that he couldn't help it, and it soon morphed into breathless, full-throated laughter. The sound rang through the chamber, raucous and slightly insane, and it caught the attention of Ghirahim who turned a speculative eye on the human. Link was still laughing even when Ghirahim strode back to him and leaned down to seize him by the throat.

"Can it be?" Ghirahim murmured. "You...you  _knew_  you couldn't defeat me. So you  _distracted_  me. You made a sacrificial lamb of yourself in order to let her escape?"

Link said nothing, only grinned in reckless abandon. Let Ghirahim think what he wanted. It didn't matter what happened now, it didn't matter if Ghirahim killed him or not. At least he could die knowing that Zelda had a chance to make it home.

Ghirahim chuckled, lips curved in amused fascination as a red dagger materialized in his other hand. "It seems I underestimated your cunning. But make no mistake, skychild...that sword is the only reason you survived long enough to stand before me. Once again the goddess has chosen a weak mortal to carry out her will, and just as before it will be her downfall!"

The dagger scythed down, and Link howled when the blade slashed across his eyes and blinded him. He clutched his face as he was dropped again, blood spurting between his fingers and trickling down his cheeks in place of the tears. He heard Ghirahim vanish again, and then there was only silence and the sound of his own labored breathing. But he knew Ghirahim was gone. He could no longer feel the aura and menacing  _presence_  of the demon like he had before.

Link let his hand fall to his side, sapped of all strength and feeling himself spiral away into unconsciousness. He knew he shouldn't. His injuries wouldn't heal themselves, but it just hurt too much to move. All the stabs and lacerations, the bruises and broken bones, every one of which he could  _feel_ now that the rush of battle was wearing off. His right arm felt dead and useless, shattered beyond repair and throbbing,  _throbbing_  unbearably.

A faint musical chime reached his ears. "Master..."

Link didn't even twitch a finger, though relief coursed through him. Fi hadn't spoken a word to him from the moment they entered this chamber. Something about Ghirahim's aura had smothered her voice, and part of him had feared the sword spirit was rendered permanently mute.

"Master, you must rise. I sense sacred water and the presence of healing fairies beyond this chamber. Should you reach the place where Zelda's aura once resided, there is a ninety percent chance you will locate a sacred spring at the heart of this temple."

Sacred energy. Healing fairies. That sounded like a good place to be right now. But oh, how he  _hurt_.

"You must rise," Fi urged him. She waited as if expecting some sort of answer, which Link failed to provide. "Master...I calculate a ninety-six percent chance that you are at this moment gravely injured. However, because you are not in physical contact with the Goddess Sword, I am unable to gauge the extent of your injuries or the likelihood of your recovery. It is imperative that you rise and reclaim your sword, or verbally state why you cannot."

His lips parted feebly, and he coughed. "H-Hurts..."

"Understood, Master," Fi said, and Link was honestly amazed that she had heard his whisper. "However, I am unable to remedy this hindrance. I highly recommend that you rise and make your way to the sacred spring where you may find a means to mend your wounds."

The very thought of trying to make his way that far in this condition made his heart cave in with despair. But there was nothing else for it. If there was the merest chance he could survive, then he had to try. He wasn't capable of throwing his life away. Link moved his hand again, gripping his right shoulder in an effort to protect his arm as he slowly rolled over. His gut roiled with the motion, head spinning, and he had to stop on his knees and press his forehead to the floor, breathing harshly and waiting for the bout of weakness to pass. If only Ghirahim could see him now, he thought in spite.

"Master Link," Fi said softly. "Although I can no longer sense the spirit maiden within this area, I surmise she will be in significant danger if no attempt is made to reach her before the demon lord. For her sake, you must make every effort to see the greater mission through. You must not permit yourself to perish. I beg of you...rise."

"I'm...trying," Link panted. He allowed himself a few seconds more to recuperate, then he gathered himself and pushed back at the pain and the whimpering voice inside that wanted him to give up. He summoned thoughts and memories of Zelda until he ached inside, until the thought of losing her made him forget everything else and nothing mattered but her. With effort he raised his head and began to crawl, figuring that slow progress was still progress.

"Where...are you...?"

"Here, Master. I am before you."

"I can't see," Link whispered, his voice cracking in exhaustion. At least he hoped that was the reason. "He blinded m-me..."

"...then I shall guide you through other means," Fi replied, and her calm voice was replaced by the soft  _bleep_  of dowsing. Link turned his head toward the sound, his right arm trailing uselessly while his left quested ahead. The  _bleep_  noise became more rapid as he groped along the cracked stones until finally his fingertips closed on the hilt of the Goddess Sword. He picked it up, then braced the point on the floor so he could lean against the sword like an old friend, feeling as though a piece of his soul had been returned to him.

"I am now able to analyze your physical condition," Fi said, her voice a reassuring hum against his cheek. "Your right arm has sustained the brunt of the trauma. I calculate a total of six bone fractures to your humerus, radius and ulna, your clavicle and two ribs. There is also a possible fracture in your skull, however your continued lucidity indicates you have not suffered a concussion or hemorrhage."

Link gave a feeble smirk. "Heh...that's all?"

"You have sustained a considerable loss of blood from numerous sword wounds..."

"That's enough," Link said, which was really a polite way of asking her to shut up. Keeping the sword braced on the floor as a makeshift crutch, he lurched upright, but remained hunched over when agony spiked in his right shoulder. The weight of his arm tugging on his broken collarbone was too much. He swayed like a drunk and staggered into a wall he couldn't see, the collision jarring him even more.

"Hurts...oh goddess save me, it hurts..."

"Come this way, Master," Fi said, still calm and unfazed by his admission. Nothing ever seemed to upset or frustrate her. The patience of the sword spirit often astounded him, but now Link was just grateful for it as he shambled after her, guided by the lilting voice and the swish of her cloak. He used his sword for support and the curved wall for guidance, finding that as long as he had to concentrate on walking, then the pain didn't seem so bad. He ducked his head and focused on each step as it came, hobbling like an old man, so single-minded that it seemed ages passed before he reached the archway. The barrier must have vanished at some point, and as Fi led him onward to a place unknown, Link gradually sensed a change in his surroundings. The sound of trickling water and the scent of exotic flowers reached him, the warm breeze of the surface tousling his hair.

"How...how far...?"

"You have nearly arrived," Fi informed him. "I can now confirm the existence of a sacred spring within this temple. Master, please have a care for your steps."

His foot bumped into something, and Link tumbled onto a set of stairs leading upward. He wanted to collapse there and then, convinced that he couldn't rise again. But Fi called to him from somewhere above, a sign that he had further to go yet. He dragged himself up the stairs inch by painful inch, wondering the whole time what Fi must think of her so-called master, crawling pitifully on his hands and knees. But he forgot his shame when he reached the top of the stairs and found himself kneeling in the hot sun. Link tipped his head back to soak it in, wanting to weep at how wonderful it felt. Something delicate brushed against his cheek, and he thought it was a butterfly until he heard the chime of gossamer wings.

"A...fairy," Link said with a hoarse chuckle. There were no fairies up in Skyloft, but he had seen dozens since he first descended to the surface. They seemed to like him for some reason. One of the sprites had even saved his life when a Bokoblin clubbed him over the head, which was how he had learned of their healing abilities.

"You must continue on, Master," Fi urged him. "In approximately ten steps, you will have reached the waters of the sacred spring. You must enter them and allow your body to be fully healed by the fairies residing therein."

"Sounds...good," Link rasped, and he heard the fairy by his head chime encouragement as he stood. But he ended up falling down almost at once, disoriented and rapidly losing track of what was happening. He thought he heard Fi calling his name, but it meant nothing to Link. He was so tired, and the stone beneath him was so warm. If he rested for a moment then maybe he could reach the spring later.

"Master...water...rise..."

"W-What?" Link mumbled. A warm, prickling sensation of fairy magic washed over him, and all of a sudden the blackness was replaced by dazzling whiteness that hurt his eyes even more than Ghirahim's dagger. He blinked rapidly, his vision resolving into a blurry wash of colors. There were pinkish blobs hovering and darting about in a sea of greens and grays and blues. The blue looked strange, wavering and reflective and gilded gold from the sunlight. It looked like water. And...water. There was something important about water. He needed to touch it or drink it or...something else that made more sense. No sooner had he thought it than Link was somehow on his feet again, sword held in a slack grip and scraping along the ground as he shuffled forward like a sleepwalker. It didn't occur to him to stop when the stone walkway ended and all that was left was water.

"Master Link..."

The Goddess Sword dropped from his hand, and the water rushed up to envelop him with a mighty splash. The coolness of it filled his mouth and slaked his thirst and washed away all the sweat and dirt and blood. The pain went with it too, and Link was left suspended in a beautiful state of weightless bliss. It wasn't at all like falling through the sky and whistling for his Loftwing. It was so much more tranquil, like he had lain down in a comfortable bed and was drifting on the edge of sleep.

Yes, sleep. That sounded like a perfect idea. Maybe he would just...sleep for a bit...

* * *

_Gaepora turned at the knock on the open door of his study and motioned for Link to enter. The headmaster cast a critical eye over his new acquisitions, the shield and belt pouches, and he nodded approval at the potion bottle. "Excellent. I'm glad to see you are taking every precaution before you begin your search."_

_"Prepare for the worst, and then it won't happen," Link said with a grin, and Gaepora chuckled at the old knight saying. "I just dropped by to let you know that I'm heading down to the surface now. Fi said the descent shouldn't take very long, and then I can search for clues while there's still plenty of daylight."  
_

_"I see," Gaepora said, but there was a doubtful note in his voice. "And...will you be spending the nights down on the surface as well? Is there no way for you to return to Skyloft once you have descended?"  
_

_"I'm...not sure," Link said, taken aback and realizing he hadn't thought that far ahead. "To be honest, I didn't really consider about how me and Zelda would come back. I've just been so focused on finding her and making sure she's okay..."_

_"Yes, I understand," Gaepora said, a deep sorrow coming to his eyes. He turned and moved to the window so he could gaze out on the open sky and the column of green light marking the way to the surface. "I, too, have been able to focus on little else. Although the legends speak of the surface as a land of freedom and bounty, it is not without its dangers. And since humankind has long since left it behind, I fear monsters and other demonic sorts may have flourished in these past millennia. The thought of Zelda down there, alone without a weapon or the protection of her Loftwing..."_

_Gaepora trailed off, and Link remained silent out of respect, though he had similar stomach-churning thoughts in his mind. Zelda was strong and resourceful, but if he had to be honest with himself, she was not the most competent fighter. An entire night had already passed since her disappearance. Skyloft had its own dangers at night, and Link couldn't help but imagine those dangers magnified tenfold down in that alien world._

_"Link," Gaepora said abruptly and faced him again. "I do not wish you to take this the wrong way. I know Zelda means the world to you, and I have every faith in your skills as a knight student. I also understand that the goddess has entrusted you both with a task which cannot be fulfilled by any other. However...are you absolutely certain you wish to go down there alone? We have other knights here, very proficient men and women, and no doubt a group would be safer than..."_

_Before Link could think of an answer, Fi materialized from his sword and hovered before them. "While your reasoning is sound, Elder Gaepora, I must caution against it. Even as the spirit maiden and my master have been summoned for their respective destinies, it is highly probable that evil forces are also being summoned to combat the agents of the goddess. A foray of sky-dwellers to the surface would attract the undue attention of these creatures and perhaps incite them to gather into a sizeable attack force."_

_"...and that would put Zelda in even more danger," Link said in understanding. He breathed deeply and nodded to Gaepora. "It's like Fi said. We shouldn't risk any more lives in this than we absolutely have to. If I go alone, I can avoid most of the monsters and just concentrate on reaching Zelda. Then she and I can figure out how to stop that apocalypse in the prophecies."_

_"I suppose, yes," Gaepora said, still flustered by Fi's sudden appearance, and he stared in amazement as she returned to the sword in a ball of light. He shook his head and dropped a fatherly hand onto Link's shoulder. "I apologize for fretting like this. I'm afraid I've become a worrywart in my old age. But still, it troubles me. You and Zelda are both so very young for this responsibility. I couldn't bear to see anything happen to my daughter. Or to you, Link."_

_"I won't let anything happen to her," Link promised, and he meant it with every fiber of his being. "It was...a lot to take in at first. Part of me is still trying to come to terms with it. But as long as Fi is with me, I think I'll be fine."_

_"And if Fi does become separated from you?" Gaepora said in concern._

_Link shrugged with a slight smile. "I'm a knight, aren't I? Well, knight student. We don't go anywhere without our swords. We even sleep with them if duty requires it."_

_Gaepora narrowed his eyes and stared at him shrewdly until Link realized what he said and backtracked, blushing furiously. "Er, I mean...crap, I didn't mean it like that!"_

_"Hmph, I certainly hope not," Gaepora said with an air of sternness. "At least not it you have any hope of asking for my daughter's hand once you both come of age..."_

_"N-No, I...wait, WHAT?"_

_Gaepora laughed again and steered a flustered and stammering Link to the door. "Old, I might be, but blind I am not. Now, off with you! Find Zelda as quickly as you can. And whatever happens down there on the surface, whatever trials you may face...never forget that you were chosen for this fate. And Hylia does not choose her champions lightly. The goddess has faith in your ability to see this through. As does Zelda, I'm sure. Just imagine how happy she will be once you have found her..."_

* * *

Link  _had_  imagined. It was the  _only_  thing he imagined. Zelda hadn't left his mind from the moment she disappeared, and with each passing hour he constantly envisioned their reunion. The scenarios ranged from Zelda being perfectly safe and happy to see him, to her being in danger and Link jumping to the rescue and her being  _really_ happy to see him. She might scold him for being reckless, she might hug him and cry, she might even demand that they sit down and discuss the exciting mysteries of the surface.

The one thing that never changed in those imaginings was her smile. She  _always_ smiled. Her face was always there and always glad to see him. And never once had Link imagined, after coming all this way and finding but a single wall between them...that he could lose her again. That he could miss her by just a few minutes and not even see her face. That she could leave again without even  _knowing_ he had been so close to reaching her...

...Link bolted upright, water splashing as he coughed and sputtered, and for a moment he was completely stumped on why he was seated chest-deep in cool water. He stared around wildly, mouth agape at his scenic surroundings. There weren't many large bodies of water on Skyloft, and Link was constantly in awe of all the lakes and rivers and ponds to be found on the surface. Lake Floria had been the most impressive from a distance, but this small and secluded spring had its own sheltered beauty like a flower blooming in shade. A statue of the goddess watched over the spring like a serene sentinel, and Link had somehow floated behind it and ended up near one of the tiny cascades feeding the spring.

"Wow," Link said to himself. He rubbed his right shoulder with a grimace, but relaxed when it didn't give even a twinge of pain. He bent his elbow and flexed all of his fingers, then checked over the rest of his body to be sure all his wounds had closed. His clothes were also clean, no longer stained with blood and dirt, but even sacred magic couldn't fix all the rips and holes in both tunic and chainmail. All told he  _still_ looked like he had let a bunch of Remlits treat him as a scratching post.

Fairies gathered around him as Link rose to his feet, finding the water only knee-deep now that he was standing. He smiled at the sprites, which caused half of them to retreat out of sight in shyness. "Thank you," he murmured, and the remaining fairies blushed an even deeper pink and also fled. Link stared after them, mystified, but shook his head and began to wade back around the statue. Fi was waiting for him at its front, floating on the water beside the walkway where he had dropped the Goddess Sword, and Link winced at the sight of the blood trail leading all the way back to the stairs and the archway.

"Master, are you recovered?"

"Yeah, thanks to the fairies," Link said, then amended. "And to you, Fi. If you hadn't helped me, I wouldn't have..."

"There remained a seventy-one percent chance you would have reached the spring even without my aid," Fi maintained, and Link sighed as he hauled himself up on the stone path. He took seat with his lower legs dipped in the water and lifted the Goddess Sword in his lap so he could clean it with the edge of his tunic...but then he changed his mind and leaned over to immerse it in the sacred water. It went against everything he had been taught about caring for swords, but Fi had assured him many times that  _this_ sword would never rust and was perfectly safe in water.

And it seemed true when Link drew the sword from the water, the droplets seeming to evaporate in an instant and leave the blade gleaming. Link cast an appreciative eye over it, then spying a goddess crest at the base of the statue, he raised the sword and let sacred power slowly gather in the blade. It was second nature to him now, and when the sword was brimming full, he let loose. The skyward strike struck the crest, and right away Fi turned toward it as if called by a voice only she could hear.

"Master, upon striking the crest with the sacred power of your blade, a message from the goddess awakened within my memory. Allow me to translate it for you."

"Please," Link said, but the word was hardly out of his mouth before Fi swept out her arms and began to dance. The water beneath her hardly rippled as she glided across it, whirling and prancing and all the while singing in a beautiful voice that sounded nothing like her usual dispassionate observations.

" _The spirit maiden who descended from the clouds must travel to two sacred places to purify her body. You stand in one of these places, Skyview Spring. The other is known as the Earth Spring, hidden away deep within the scorched earth of Eldin. The spirit maiden, ever mindful of the heavy task entrusted to her, has set out for this second fated place..._ "

A stone tablet like the one that had guided him to Faron appeared from the statue and drifted down to his hands. A ruby glinted at him from the cracked and dull surface, and Link traced the deep lines which depicted a mountainous land and smoke-filled sky.

Fi returned to his side, her graceful dance coming to an end. "As I have just translated, it would appear that Zelda has purified herself in the waters of this sacred spring. I calculate a ninety-seven percent chance that she has already set out for Eldin, where another such spring exists."

"Eldin," Link murmured. He laid the tablet fragment in his lap, swallowing bitterly as the weight of his task truly began to make itself known. He had thought it was as simple as finding Zelda and taking her back home until they figured out how to handle the destinies thrust upon them. But it seemed her task required her to stay on the surface, to make the dangerous journey to these sacred springs, and it must be urgent indeed if she couldn't stay in one place long enough for him to find her. If she even knew he was right behind her, following her every step with sword in hand. But maybe Zelda thought she was all alone. Maybe she thought Link was still up in Skyloft and felt she had no choice but to hurry on as fast as she could before the likes of Ghirahim could hunt her down.

Setting the stone tablet aside, Link leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands.  _Wait_ , he wanted to cry out to her. Wait for me, Zelda. Wait for me to catch up before you move on. Trust me to find you, trust me to  _protect_  you. But the words were hollow even in his own mind. What kind of protection could he offer when he couldn't even protect himself?

"I recommend that we set out for Eldin as soon as may be managed, Master."

Link sighed and let his hands drop, head bowed and gaze fixed on the water. He couldn't bring himself to look at Fi. She may have only been a sword and incapable of any real emotion, but surely even a sword knew when it was being wielded by hands both inexperienced and unworthy.

"Master, the spirit maiden awaits in Eldin," Fi repeated as if he hadn't heard the first four times. "If you require a period of recuperation, it would be wise to first make the journey to the sky where you may receive medical attention and other necessary provisions—"

"I wasn't distracting him," Link admitted, and he was grateful when Fi fell silent. "I wasn't...it never even crossed my mind. I was trying my best to stay alive and defeat him. Even though I knew there was no chance I could win and I was going to die no matter what, I still..."

He trailed off, pained by his own confession and at the same time knowing it would shame him more to hold it in. A knight did not bluff and bluster about strength he didn't have. Nor did he refuse to acknowledge his own weakness because that was as good as inviting death. What a knight  _did_ do was learn his own limits and work every moment of every day to surpass them, to become better than he was the day before. And that realization made a leaden feeling settle in his gut because Link couldn't see how any mere human could hope to surpass Ghirahim. It would take decades of training to gain even a fraction of that strength and skill, and he just didn't  _have_  that kind of time.

"Yes, Master," Fi said after a moment of contemplation.

Link raised his head. "Yes, what?"

"You have confirmed what I had already surmised," Fi explained. "During the battle with the demon lord, you had no knowledge of Zelda's intention to leave the sacred spring. Therefore, mere distraction would have served no purpose in protecting her. The only course of action at the time was to give battle and attempt to defeat the demon lord."

He snorted and let his head droop again. "Some attempt. I...I  _lost_ , Fi. I couldn't defeat him, I couldn't even put up decent fight. He could have finished me off anytime he wanted, and the only reason I'm alive is because he got  _bored_  of beating the crap out of me!"

"That is correct, Master."

Link gaped at her, stunned and a little hurt by her terse reply when some childish part of him had expected consolation. And he had to swallow those feelings back and restrain himself from snapping at her to vent his frustration. He had done that once before, when one of her many calculations had turned out to be false and resulted in his head being stuck halfway down a Deku Baba's throat. He had yelled at her then, losing his temper completely and bellowing obscenities not at all becoming of his age and knighthood...and she had simply hovered there and taken the abuse, and at the end offered such a contrite and sincere apology that Link couldn't bring himself to stay mad at her. Fi had never claimed to always be right in all things. She made mistakes just as often as he did, which truly didn't bode well for their mission at hand.

"Master," Fi said with a trace of caution. "By your silence, I can infer my words may have caused some degree of offense. I wish to apologize..."

"No, don't...apologize," Link said with a heavy exhale. He leaned back to lay flat on the stone with his arms outspread, squinting up at the sky and hating how far away the clouds looked. "If anything, it's me who should be apologizing. I completely messed up back there. Chosen hero...what a joke. Zelda was almost captured and I nearly failed my mission and got killed, all because I couldn't win a damn swordfight."

"The hero of ancient times was not always successful in his own battles," Fi reminded him like a teacher gently encouraging a hapless student. "He was not chosen merely for his skill at combat, nor for the number of enemies he slew."

"Then why was he chosen?" Link said, defeat creeping into his voice. He draped an arm across his eyes and hoped that was enough to hide the anguish he felt. "Why was  _I_ chosen, Fi? There are plenty of knights on Skyloft who are so much better at this kind of thing than me. They've actually been on dangerous missions, they've fought in real battles against hordes of Skytails. Before I came to the surface, I'd never killed anything more dangerous than a Chu."

"And yet in the short time you have come to the surface," Fi interrupted, "you have successfully slain nine Skulltulas, four Moblins, twenty-eight Bokoblins, and an assortment of other hostile creatures native to this forested land. You also emerged victorious from a strenuous battle with a Stalfos mere moments before your confrontation with Ghirahim. Based on my observations of your battle prowess, you have advanced far more rapidly than my previous estimates. And though you may feel this remarkable progress is inadequate, I would urge you to view your continued survival as an unexpected boon or divine intervention by the goddess herself."

That surprised a laugh out of him. "So you're basically saying it's a miracle that I'm alive? Oh wow, I feel better now! So all I need is a bubble of magic light to make me invulnerable for the rest of the journey and Zelda will be saved in no time! Or wait...how about a gigantic sword that can cleave Ghirahim in half before he can even open his big fat mouth? Am I allowed to pray for that next time?"

Fi regarded him with utmost seriousness. "Master, your lucidity is deteriorating. I believe it is likely that you have sustained a concussion after all. A second immersion in the sacred spring may be necessary to ensure your continued health."

"No, no I'm fine," Link said, still snickering as he waved his hand. "I was joking. Come on, you've heard me joke before."

"Yes, Master," Fi said with a stony expression. "However, you have never before jested about petitioning the goddess for a more superior sword to wield in defense of the spirit maiden."

"Huh?" Link said, not catching her meaning at first. But then he glanced at the Goddess Sword and sat up again. "Wait a minute, I didn't mean..."

Fi turned, capes swirling as she floated away in what looked to Link like silent indignation. He cried out and quickly waded into the spring after her, now fearing that he had insulted her or hurt her feelings with such a careless comment. "No...Fi, hold on! I swear I was just kidding! I'm not saying that I  _want_ a new sword, I don't! I really, really don't! You're the best sword I've ever had! Come on, please don't be mad at me—ack!"

He stumbled over an uneven crack in the stone and ended up face planting in the water, which flooded his nose and mouth and caused him to come up coughing and hacking. A fairy swirled around his face and took the sting out of his throat, but it took longer to blink the water from his eyes and see that Fi had returned to his side. And the sword spirit watched him without a word, head tilted to the side and lips curled in an ever-so-slight smile.

"...oh,  _very_  funny," Link said snidely, but couldn't repress a foolish grin. "Was that supposed to be  _your_ idea of a joke?"

"I believe your lucidity has returned, Master," Fi said with perfect decorum.

"Yeah," Link said as he clambered to his feet and wrung the water from the edge of his tunic. His attention drifted down to their wavering reflections in the water, a drenched knight student and an ethereal spirit, and his expression grew more wretched. "What a pair we make, huh?"

"I am unsure of what you mean by those words, Master."

"Just  _look_  at us," Link urged her. "I'm supposed to be the goddess' chosen hero, right? I have to follow the path that Hylia laid out for me. Just like she did for the Ancient Hero, the one who dueled the Demon King and sent my ancestors to the sky. That guy must have had it all figured out. Our history books say he was the greatest swordsman to ever live and a brilliant general and tactician. Lesser demons used to flee at the mere sight of him on the battlefield. He had a whole army at his back and the goddess to lend him strength..."

"And yet he was only one man," Fi murmured. "A mortal who, in all likelihood, possessed his own fears and doubts which were shared with no one but those he trusted. Secondhand accounts of historical events often become embellished as time passes, and it has been many millennia since the first hero walked this land."

"Still, there's got to be  _some_  truth to the old stories," Link said stubbornly. "But I'm nothing like him. I doubt I could ever come close, even if I kept trying for a thousand years. I'm not...I'm not  _ready_  for this, Fi. I'm not even a true knight yet, let alone a hero."

"That is correct," Fi agreed. Before Link could decide if he was hurt by her honesty or not, the sword spirit went on. "However, it might be more accurate to say that you are not  _yet_  a hero. But the potential sleeps within you, Master. It has been my observation since the very day we met that you possess a great deal of what your kind refers to as courage. In your desire to fight on against all odds, you have proven that you are spiritually prepared for the journey ahead. And it is the purpose of this journey to hone your mind and body to the task that your spirit is already prepared for. To awaken within you all the qualities that Hylia sought in her human champion."

Link stared at the sword spirit, a faint recollection niggling at the back of his mind like a half remembered dream. "Power...wisdom...and courage..."

"Master?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. Just...something I heard once. Why? Does it mean anything to you?"

Fi hesitated, which was rare for her. "Currently, that information is irrelevant," she replied.

"Currently?"

Fi remained silent to his inquiry. And though Link was tempted to keep pressing her, he also didn't want to end up drawn into a very lengthy and mind-numbing explanation which could put him to sleep more effectively than ten of Instructor Owlan's lectures. Link considered his reflection again, trying to envision himself sometime in the near future, slicing through his enemies with ease and forcing Ghirahim to yield to his superior skill. But he just couldn't see it.

"I get what you're saying, Fi," Link said quietly. He touched his shoulder where Ghirahim had impaled him, the pain gone but not forgotten. "But all the courage in the world isn't going to save Zelda. Does the goddess really think a few battles can transform me into a hero overnight?"

Fi drifted closer, regarding him with impassive eyes. "The goddess believes you capable of fulfilling your destiny. As I have previously stated, you have the capacity to grow and change with time, to become far greater than you are. And likewise, the Goddess Sword also has the potential to grow and change alongside you. I pray that in the future this will greatly lessen my failures and allow me to be of further use to you."

"What do you mean?" Link said in surprise. "You've  _never_  failed me, not once. Without you around to explain what to do or where to go, I would have been completely lost. I would've been dead a long time ago. You know so much more than I do..."

Fi glanced away, and for the first time ever Link got the strangest feeling when he looked at her. The feeling one got from having a drawn sword pressed against their neck, cold and deadly. "And yet this vast store of knowledge did nothing to stop the demon lord, Ghirahim, from using me to cause you great harm. Had I the capacity, I would not have suffered to let his hand touch my hilt, nor defile me with the blood of my master. Then the odds of your defeat would have been drastically reduced."

His lips parted in realization, and suddenly his joke earlier about wanting a better sword seemed ten times crueler. "Oh, Fi...you think what happened back there was your fault? You can't blame yourself for that. You're just a sword, you can't pick and choose who wields you. It's my own fault for not hanging onto you in the first place."

"Your words are kind, Master, but erroneous," Fi replied. "The Goddess Sword is a weapon of great power, but it is not the blade of the chosen hero."

" _Yet_ ," Link pointed out, encouraging. "But it will be one day. You just...you have to give it some time, like you told me."

"Master, if you are now fully recovered, it would be wise to make haste in your pursuit of the spirit maiden," Fi said, completely ignoring his attempt to lift her spirits. And with the same abruptness she balled up into an orb of light and returned to the sword, which still lay on the stone path where he had left it. Link exhaled softly, annoyed once again by her tendency to completely misread a normal conversation. Always offering irrelevant information when he least needed it, then falling silent at the times he most wanted to converse.

 _But we're not perfect,_  Link reminded himself. He waded back to the stone path and heaved himself out of the water, grimacing at his sodden clothes and armor which would probably take  _forever_  to dry even in the hot sun. He leaned down to pick up the Goddess Sword, but hesitated before he would have sheathed it. His right arm was completely healed so he was easily able to grip it and make a quick run through the most basic sword drill. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, thrust, every motion so familiar after so many years of practice.

Curiously, Link moved the sword to his left hand and tried the same motions. This arm wasn't accustomed to the weight and made every swing bizarrely slow, not to mention backwards from what he was used to. He raised his right arm like he was holding an invisible shield and tried the drill again. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, thrust. Horizontal, vertical, diagonal, thrust. After the fourth drill, he attempted a jump strike and nearly tripped over his own feet, missing his imaginary target by a mile. But as he landed and twisted around in preparation for a spin attack, Fi suddenly materialized from his sword and hovered right in his path. Link yelped in alarm and tried to abort the attack, but didn't quite manage before the sword cleaved her in the side. He froze, horrified for a split second, until he realized Fi hadn't even flinched. The blade had passed straight through her stomach like she was made of air and left no mark of its passing.

"Master?" Fi said and seemed genuinely puzzled by his slack-jawed expression. "Is something the matter?"

"D-Don't do that!" Link blurted out. He passed a shaking hand over his face. Her human-like form looked so real and solid to his eyes that often Link forgot it was actually the  _sword_  he was talking to. The sword was her body, her entire being, while the ethereal woman before him was more of a ghostly puppet that Fi used to make their conversations easier. He could no more harm her than he could harm the wind. He jabbed a finger at her angrily. "You know it creeps me out when you pass  _through_  stuff like that. It's weird!"

"My apologies, Master," Fi replied. "I merely wished to inquire as to the purpose of this. The spirit maiden awaits in Eldin, and she is pursued by the demon lord, Ghirahim. It would not be prudent to linger here for very long."

Zelda's smiling face flashed through his mind and filled Link with the same urgency that Fi seemed to have, the need to find her and protect her at all costs. But he pushed that feeling back and held up the sword, adjusting his grip in a way that made it feel less awkward. "I need to learn to fight with my left hand. I can't be the goddess' champion if a broken arm is all it takes to make me helpless. I have two hands, I should use them both."

"...that is a very wise decision, Master," Fi said after a moment.

Link looked at her wryly. "And I think that's the first time you've ever said that to me," he remarked.

Fi tilted her head. "I simply wish to acknowledge your words as confirmation of my previous statements. After suffering such an overwhelming defeat and devastating injuries, it is only natural for one to indulge in self-pity or anger. Yet you have already overcome these negative feelings and now seek to learn from this experience and adapt yourself in ways that can only lead to further improvement. I find this...most admirable."

Link shrugged and threw himself into the next drill, ending with another jump strike which this time he managed to execute somewhat decently. "I'll only find it admirable if I can actually hit something with this hand. I have to practice as much as possible, which shouldn't be hard since it seems like everything down on the surface wants to kill me. The next time I see a group of Bokoblins wandering around..."

"I must caution against such a dangerous method of practice," Fi told him. "The odds of causing yourself harm in this fashion is quite considerable."

"But what choice do I have?" Link said wearily. "If I could, I'd stay on Skyloft and practice in the sparring hall until I felt confident enough to face a real fight, but I don't have  _time_  for that. I have to keep traveling and keep looking for Zelda, like you said. I can't even waste a single day."

She said nothing for a moment, watching without expression as he clumsily slashed at the empty air. He was nearly about to try a third jump strike when Fi spoke up again. "Understood, Master. Then I request that you allow me to aid in your practice."

Link paused. "Really? But how?"

"I shall act as the target that you attempt to strike with your sword—"

"You'll  _what?_ " Link said in shock. "No, there's no way I can do that! What if I end up hurting...you...oh, right."

"I assure you that is quite impossible," Fi answered, even though there was no need of the reminder. Link glanced down at the sword in his hand, then back at her, still uneasy as he took up a battle stance. The sword spirit waited, calm and utterly without fear as he gingerly attempted a horizontal slash. It was ridiculously slow, even when taking his cumbersome left hand into account, and Fi dodged it with no difficulty. A  _kitten_  probably could have dodged it with the same ease.

Link grimaced, realizing for the first time how screwed he would have been if this were a real battle. "Okay, point for you," he muttered.

"Are we keeping a tally, Master?"

"Sure, why not?" Link snorted. He pressed the attack again, chagrined when she nimbly dodged each strike even when he was moving at top speed. He feinted a few times, which failed to catch her off guard, and when Fi suddenly moved off the stone path to hover over the water, he cried foul. "Hey, that's cheating!"

"Apologies, Master. I was unaware we had established any rules..."

Link launched himself off the stone path straight at her, both the point of his sword and half his arm passing straight through her on his way down to the water. He landed with a splash and turned around with a pleased grin. "Point for me!"

"Yes, Master," Fi said, that most faintest of smiles gracing her face again. She raised one of her arms, the cape fluttering and taunting him to attack. He grinned, feeling a rush of exhilaration inside. Feeling as though he was a student back in Skyloft again, learning the way of the sword for the first time, fearless and unashamed of his inexperience. Because all the future lay ahead of him, all the time in the world to become better and stronger than the day before. And as long as he had a sword in his hand and courage in his heart, there was absolutely nothing that could hold him back. Nothing that could hold  _them_  back.

The last of his reservations lost, Link raced forward with a battle cry, the water splashing beneath his feet as hero and blade fought and danced and honed their skills for the trials ahead.


End file.
